By Cesar Maya – Spear Reporter | Junior Driver Zalan Hegedus looks to make a shot during possession (Photo by Marco Munoz – Spear Photographer)
No. 9 San Jose State men’s water polo (6-7, 0-0 WCC) utilized a strong first half to beat UC Merced (0-5, 0-0 WWPA) 20-10 at the Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center.
This was the second win of the day for the Spartans, who also won their earlier exhibition game against West Valley College 13-10 in the Lee Walton Tournament.
Coming off the earlier win, the Spartans appeared determined to maintain their momentum, shutting out the Bobcats 6-0 in the first quarter. Each goal came from a different player.
“Today was one of those days that we were able to give more playing time to some of the guys that might not play as much,” SJSU head coach Gabor Sarusi said. “Especially the guys that we want to get to the level we need them to be at the end of the season when we play league games.”
One of these players, freshman driver Kai Lewis, recorded his first hat trick of the season during the match, with the first goal coming off of an assist from sophomore driver Aidan Johnson.
Both players helped push the offense throughout the game, as Johnson recorded 2 points and led the team with 3 assists.
SJSU had another strong push in the second quarter, taking an 11-2 advantage into halftime.
Although a strong offense was seen from the Spartans, the team’s defense was visible throughout the matchup, which included 6 saves from freshman goalkeeper Stellen Karkazis, who played for 3 of the game’s quarters.
“It was really exciting to play my first big game,” Karkazis said. “ I think I did good. As always, there’s stuff that I need to clean up and keep working, but I think since the start of the season my communication and just awareness of the pool has grown.”
Senior center Giancarlo Marquez provided another defensive highlight of the match as he drew 4 exclusions against the Bobcats.
Although the Spartans were able to maintain their lead and hold back the Bobcats throughout the second half, UC Merced persisted with 4 goals that repeatedly occurred in both the third and fourth quarters.
With the match’s end, the Spartans reached a season-high score of 20 against the Bobcats, with multiple players stepping up to add to the scoreboard. In total, 15 different players earned at least 1 goal throughout the match.
The Spartans will next host and kick off the BW Invite against No. 14 UC Santa Barbara at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at the SRAC.
